Prince of Persia – Initial Impressions from Edge

We’re big fans of the Prince of Persia series here at Citadel d’Attitude (think “Towers” but with more French dungeons) considering the first trilogy of games stood out so strongly during the last generation of gaming.

From the stellar production values to the thrill of the acrobatics, the reimagining of the title from its humble beginnings was greeted by both critical and financial success.

Taking another progressive leap forward, Ubisoft have resisted the urge to simply “up the poly count” and, yet again, take our Persian protagonist in a new direction with a lush artistic overhaul and the addition of a new “buddy system” in the form of the intriguing Elika.

Edge Online has an indepth and insightful article after spending time with the game and enjoying its first few hours of game-play.

Extolling the game’s aesthetic, the article touches upon the obvious influences the new edition to the series displays. “Thereâ€™s a twist of Ico in the physicality of the relationship between the Prince and Elika”. The Team Ico infusion doesn’t stop there apparently: “Thereâ€™s Shadow Of The Colossus in its structure â€“ an open world spread around a central hub”.

Edge goes on to explain that you’ll also see some touches of Okami in the “showers of flowers and light as evil is cleared from an area” but explains that the game’s inspirations are not totally based on Eastern titles. We’ll see some familiar Western influences from the likes of Uncharted with the Prince and Elika’s relationship likened to that of Drake and Elena’s though the script “hasnâ€™t yet proved as sharp, and the characters are hardly as charming”. There is also the fact that, despite being Persian, the characters’ appearance suggests they hail more from “San Fran” than “Iran”.

Other changes are found in the control system which now has a distinctive Assassin’s Creed flavour. Expect certain buttons to alter how you control the Prince depending on whatever dicey situations he finds himself in.

Apart from the aforementioned script point, Edge goes on to say mention some other minor irks. The new Prince is now somewhat of a “goofy” wiseacre and there are potential issues with the whole Elika dynamic. With an “unnerving tendency to skip around a scene to be where she needs to be for a sequence of animation” there are also some inconsistencies in her abilities (she can float but sometimes is required to be carried) and her personality – considering she feints one minute yet has no problem leaping down a mountain the next. Her purpose in the game also appears to be simply to “provide magical attacks”.

We highly recommend checking out the full piece for more information about their time with the game. Though there are understandable concerns expressed (mostly concerning how the symbiotic relationship between the Prince and Eilka will play out), there is a sense that, with some tweaks and more time with the game, these troubles should be allayed.

We’ll be spending some time with the Prince and his new muse this Holiday season so check back in for our impressions and thoughts.